338 EDGE Handloading

wolf300H&H

wolf300H&H

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Cabin in central Alberta
hey guys im sure this thread been around b4,i just didnt want to go chasing it around.

hey im getting a 338 edge built for me and was wondering what your loads were for it. ive got rem 300 RUM brass coming for it,and berger and sierra 300s plus hornady 285s.

im a big sierra fan so i got 3 boxes of those,but those bergers seem magical with their high BC(2 boxes). any imput is appreciated. was gonna try out H1000 first as that seems to be the powder of choice.

cant find much on casing length(trim to),COL , and start/end point of powder loads? thanx guys.

PS: PM me if interested in any leftover bullets after i select which one ill be using full time.
 
I've been shooting an Edge now for almost a year. I havne't tried the Bergers as I couldn't find any, and I have 4 boxes of the new Hornady AMP's waiting for me at the gunshop. Currently I'm loading 250 and 300 gr SMK's. Google 338 Edge reloading and you'll find some info. Also have a look at the Defensive Edge website. Some of the early data is using old lots of H1000. Apparantly the old powder was less powerful. The new loads are considerably lighter. With the 250's I'm using 94.5 gr of H1000, and am getting 2950fps. With the 300's I'm using 89.5 gr of H1000 and am getting 2750 fps. Have been shooting out to 1300 m and am very happy with the loads.
 
I run 91.5gr H1000 behind the Berger, and typically see 1/3moa at under 800m, if I am shooting well. Out at 1000 I will have verticals under that, but my wind reading skills give it some spread... I see 2940fps out of a 30" barrel. I have them seated out to 4.1" COAL so they won't mag feed from anything. But I don't mind single loading.

I tried the 250gr accubond but didn't see much success, it would go just over MOA at 100 and 300. I use the 225gr ttsx as my under 400 yard hunting load, I can't remember the charge off hand, but I use retumbo.

I might be interested in trying a few of the 285 hornadies if you have any left when your done. I would like to try a few of the new 300gr accubonds as well, depending on what the actual BC is.
 
You might have good performance with 250 and 285 Hornady Match. The Hornady dudes been out pushing pills (in my area anyway) and as a result it's been much easier to get Hornady Match/A-Max than SMK's. I love SMK's! The only reason I've been buying the Hornady's is availibilty and cost. I had almost given up on Hornady. I had a terrible string of luck with them. I'm happy that the last few boxes of A-Max/Match have been really good, under inspection anyway. The 208's have been looking really good, I'll find out about the 155's and 168's today.
 
I've had a couple of them, and both liked H1000 with 300 gr SMKs. My friends who shoot Edges are also on the H1000 bandwagon. 215 Ms and Remington brass.

COL is going to depend on your reamer, and that depends on whether it is envisioned as a seat to the base of the neck single-shot, or a repeater. My first one took just short of 4" to touch the lands and I shot it at 3.950". My current Edge has a 3.820" Wyatt box and shoots at 3.785"

It would surprise me if your final load wasn't 91-92 grains of H1000. Back way off for a starting load, if nothing else its a chance to fire-form some brass. The necked up brass has horrendously crooked necks til they are fired once. Strangely, in my rifle all those 12-15 thousandths run-out rounds seem to shoot just fine. Makes a guy wonder, when the banana shaped rounds want to shoot 1/2 minute at 1/2 mile.
 
hmmm wierd about the run out ,thats good they shoot so well.

the good thing is is the gunsmith building me this is getting one too. we are gonna fire form the brass with the creme of wheat trick(he will be showing me),and ya i guess ill wait to see what he tells me about the COL/trimm length.
 
I don't know if the COW technique is going to help straighten necks, its usually used for blowing out shoulders and bodies on Imp cases. I went as far as getting and useing the Sinclair mandrels for necking up, but it didn't help.

It would be interesting if you rolled your cases for run-out before and after necking up, then after the COW fireing and posted the results.
 
I made my own necking up mandrel loooots of taper+ lots of lube. I didn't measure any but I doubt run out was too bad. I'm about 1/2 hr east north of Red Deer if you guys want to bring your brass out or barrow it you are welcome. PM me.COW to me would be a PITA.
I started at 88g H1000 with the 300 SMK. I have the short reamer and found max at 93g. Time to run in the throating reamer I guess.
Stephen
 
I know its an extra step, but I stepped mine up to 8mm, then to 338. Seemed to give me straighter necks. I also annealed my brass at the 8mm step. I don't know if it was needed but it didn't add much time.

I tried the Nosler brass, the primer pockets lose some tension in the first firing, the primers seat easier, but are still held in the brass. The brass is very uniform in weight and neck thickness. I have been getting 8-9 reloads with the last batch of Nosler brass. The only real drawback I find is the $$$.
 
good to know.ive never necked up or down any brass. i know its pretty simple if the cartridge is similiar,such as 308 and 7-08.

my question can i run my FL 8mm mauser thru the 300 RUM brass? or do i gotta get a diff 8mm die or do something fancy? then move onto the proper die for the 338 edge( redding makes em so i might buy a set).

apparantly the rem brass beats out the nosler for our application,but thats good you got that many firings. think ill stick with the rem and toss out any i dont like or save em for setting up the knick knacks.

thanx guys
 
I have the Redding Edge dies from Defensive edge. They come with the taperd expander to go from 308 to 338. I annealed mine, ran them through the expander, blew out the shoulders with COW, then loaded and fired. I also bought a redding S Bushing neck sizing die. After turning my necks I bought a differant neck bushing so I would have .002" neck tension. When using the FL S bushing die that came from Shawn I bumped the shoulders back to far on some creating a head space issue that caused a case seperation. Pulled the bullets and did the COW with those 20 and they are still going strong. That was one reason I went to the neck sizing only die.
 
This was a great post to read as I'm currently building a 338 Edge as well.

I have all the parts ready to assemble in the next couple of months when Im back on my feet. I picked up my Ron Smith barrel on Monday afternoon and then ended up falling in the garage and broke my kneecap.

I also have a set of dies from Defensive Edge and one of his gill style brakes.
 
I'm useing the Defensive Edge FL Redding dies with my current Edge. I like the DE dies more than the DE brake, a Holland works better.

With the OP's indulgence, I'd like to sneak this pic in. Its my DE Canyon Rifle on a Bat.

DSCF3459.jpg
 
The velocity/pressure deviation between the new/old lots of H1000 seems to be rifle specific. I am running 93 gr of a new lot of H1000 with 300 gr SMK in the edge and getting 2835 fps from a 28" barrel.
I basically started from scratch with Shawn Carlock's data and found it to be identical to what I am getting.
 
Hey kermodie are seating your bullet long or do you have the short freebore? Im starting to get brass flow into the ejector hole on the odd round at 93. I have the short freebore and may run my throating reamer in so I can get the bullets seated to where the should be to see if it will bring pressure down. I am uisng hornady brass I hear its a little soft.
 
300 SMK
93 gr H1000
Rem 9 1/2M
3.785 OAL
Rem Brass

2.840 OAL to kiss the lands on a new chamber.

I started at 88 gr because of all the talk about the new powder and worked up to 94 gr with velocity exactly as Carlock indicated. My accuracy load is 93 grs. Brass is lasting 6 loads with no pressure signs, before I chuck them.

Most people are running CCI 250 primers but I haven't tried them yet.
 
Kermodie said:
300 SMK
93 gr H1000
Rem 9 1/2M
3.785 OAL
Rem Brass

2.840 OAL to kiss the lands on a new chamber.

I started at 88 gr because of all the talk about the new powder and worked up to 94 gr with velocity exactly as Carlock indicated. My accuracy load is 93 grs. Brass is lasting 6 loads with no pressure signs, before I chuck them.

Most people are running CCI 250 primers but I haven't tried them yet.
Click to expand...

I tried the CCI 250s on my first Edge. I couldn't get rid of the constant misfires in the cold until I switched to 215Ms. Ain't -30 great?.
 
im got my rifle and have fired it 30 times now for load development,its a 338 edge improved, i can forget the 300 bergers coupled with 88 gr of retumbo,too much pressure and recoil was noticibly more, those were 4.000 " COL.

put a fair group at 200 with the wind overboard with the h1000 and 300 SMKs,but again only 88 grains and some primers are flattened, im using federal match mag primers . im still getting comfortable shooting the rifle. im gonna try backing off the length of each bullet today and try again.

was seating the SMKs to around 3.910, kissing the lands i figure is 3.940 for those ,and the bergers 4.000" kissing the lands with those i think is 4.050"

after fire forming the brass i notice some shoulders were not very sharp and more resembled a weatherby cartridge. i hope its just this fact that makes the pressure spike some of the times at "only" 88 gr of either retumbo or h1000. gonna try shooting the fully formed/fired brass soon and see if that helps or maybe switch to the hornady 285s.any help is appreciated on loading this wild cat. thanx guys.
 
I would think with 20to50 thou off the lands you should be well under flattening pimer teritory. My RKS barrel can take to 94 grains with H1000 with smk 300s that is max though.
If you have the improved chamber I would think you could go slightly higher.
I switched away from federal primers I had one fail. I think they are one of the softer ones.
Give me a shout if you are going out near red deer. Ill bring my edge and chromat.
 
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